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How Do Different Social Media Platforms Affect Your Mood? - YouTube
Channel: Above The Noise
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- Alright.
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So we might have to do
this a couple times.
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You've been forewarned.
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We use the hell out of social media.
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And while on occasion,
it can prove useful,
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Aw man, my grammy's bitmoji game is dope.
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Experts warn that social media use is
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fundamentally changing the way
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our brains process information.
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The media thinks we're addicted.
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- Teens.
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- [Man] Social Media.
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- [Woman] Obsessed.
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- [Man] Obsessed.
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- There's always some new study,
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highlighting some new finding
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on how social media is
ruining young minds.
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I get it.
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Perfect vacations.
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Perfect selfies.
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You can only scroll through your
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Instagram feed for so long
before it really gets to you.
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(beep, beep)
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But, if you look at the actual research,
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does it support the idea that social media
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is subconsciously chipping away
at our emotional well being?
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Making us depressed?
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And can you really use a
blanket statement, social media?
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Are Facebook, Twitter,
Snapchat, and Instagram
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all doing the same thing to your brain?
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First, a little historical context on how
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experts have used new
communication technologies.
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In 1936, when radio was all the rage,
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students were at risk of disturbing
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the balance of their excitable minds.
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And television, it was going
to disrupt conversation,
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reading, and the patterns of family living
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resulting in the further
vulgarization of American culture.
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Patterns of family living.
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What the hell does that even mean?
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Now, it's social medias
turn under the microscope.
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Though, it maybe pretty
new to the research world,
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there's still been over 400 studies
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looking at Facebook, alone.
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Trying to understand how and
why people use social media.
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The results don't boil down to a simple,
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one size fits all consensus.
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In researching this story,
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we'll look primarily at studies published
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in the last three years from
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respected American research universities.
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Like, The University of
Michigan and Carnegie Mellon.
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The majority of those studies focus
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specifically on Facebook use.
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And a good number did
find a correlation between
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Facebook use and depressed mood.
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But there's always a but, isn't there.
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It's not necessarily the case that
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Facebook use is causing a depressed mood.
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It could just as easily
mean that people who are
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feeling depressed, spend
more time on Facebook.
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When looking at Facebook use,
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researchers found that how you're
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using it is super important.
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Facebook's resident expert, explains.
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- If you look at more
active uses of Facebook,
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so looking at people sending
comments or sharing messages,
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or writing on each others walls,
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we find that wellbeing improves over time.
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But, on the other hand, just sitting back
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and passively reading your newsfeed,
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doesn't have these effects.
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- Are you scrolling
through your Facebook feed,
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letting selfies and food
porn slowly wash over you?
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If so, the link between social
media use and depressed mood,
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appears to hold true.
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But, if you're showing some
love to your cousin, Bob,
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who just graduated, finally,
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then the correlation
can swing the other way.
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Your mood may actually get a boost.
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So, when they say Facebook use
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is associated with depressed mood,
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we have to define what they mean.
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Passive use or active use?
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And if it's the latter,
active use with who?
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If what's important is how
you're using social media,
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and who you're using it with,
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then Snapchat may be the
clearest example, yet,
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of how all social media
isn't created equal.
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For the research crowd,
Snapchat is still pretty new.
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So, there's not a ton of research yet.
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One study published in
the research journal,
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"Information, Communication, and Society"
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found that Snapchat
interactions were associated
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more with positive mood compared to
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other social media platforms.
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Now, it's a small sample size of 154,
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undergraduates, in Michigan.
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It's not big or varied enough to apply
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the results to everyone.
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But, the studies authors
think that with Snapchat,
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Epha, give me a second,
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(babbles)
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Ephemerality is the key ingredient.
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Videos and photos disappear
seconds after being viewed.
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Because of this, we
often share more mundane
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everyday stuff with close friends.
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A stark contrast of the
perfectly curated photos
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of success posted on Instagram
that will exist forever.
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We can't give Snapchat all the credit
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for causing an uptick in mood.
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But more general research in psychology
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does support this interpretation.
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The ephemerality, do
your Googles, of Snapchat
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requires the user be
present and in the moment.
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This focus on the here and now,
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as opposed to thinking
about the past or future,
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is associated with a positive mood.
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That's what these dudes over here said.
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So, the next time you see a scary headline
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about the evils of social media, remember,
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the research says how you're using it
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is what really matters.
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Typically, passive use is
associated with depressed mood.
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Active use is associated
with positive mood.
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So, what do you think?
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Does this research ring true for you?
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How does your social
media affect your mood?
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Let us know in the comments, below.
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'Till next time.
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